VCU news

By Anne Dreyfuss and George Jones

In observance of National Public Health Week, the Richmond City Health District and students from the Master of Public Health program at Virginia Commonwealth University are working together to promote public health in the community. The theme of National Public Health Week for 2016, which runs April 4-10, is “Healthiest Nation 2030,” stemming from an initiative by the American Public Health Association to make America the healthiest nation in one generation.

VCU is committed to training the next generation of public health professionals.

“VCU is committed to training the next generation of public health professionals,” said Anton Kuzel, M.D., chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Population Health at the VCU School of Medicine. “Focusing attention on public health issues will not only improve health in the community, it will also reduce health care spending overall.” The week’s events are administered through the department’s Division of Epidemiology.

The term “public health” refers to a wide range of population health issues, from disease outbreak prevention to seatbelt safety advocacy. For more on what public health means to Richmond, click here to see a video about the week’s theme that was produced in 2015 by the Richmond City Health District with assistance from VCU Master of Public Health students.

From mid-March through the end of National Public Health Week, Richmond City Health District staff members, VCU public health students and VCU ASPiRE students are leading outreach efforts across Richmond to educate community members about what public health does through a “This Is Public Health” campaign. A national initiative, the “This Is Public Health” campaign was developed by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health to convey the message that public health affects everyone on a daily basis.

“Public health is in the backdrop of almost every aspect of our lives and we want to expand awareness about it to residents of greater Richmond,” said Danny Avula, M.D., director of the Richmond City Health District.  

Throughout the month of March and during Public Health Week in April, VCU students and Richmond City Health District ambassadors have been visiting public health-related organizations and events to capture photos of public health in action. The photos will be posted to the Richmond City Health District’s Facebook page throughout the week. Richmond City Health District representatives will also ask campaign participants to take a photo with the “This Is Public Health” logo during Public Health Week and the photos will be posted on Richmond City Health District’s  social media accounts to celebrate all that public health does in Richmond. 

At VCU, the Division of Epidemiology and Public Health Student Association are offering public health seminars and sponsoring a walk challenge.Up to 500 walkers may compete to log the most steps during the week. Prizes will be awarded to the first, second, and third-place walkers and one randomly selected participant.

Other events that remain this week include:

 

April 5 – Virginia as the Healthiest State in the Nation: Intentionally Designing the Commonwealth for Health and Well-Being

Noon, One Capitol Square Building Room 644, 830 E. Main St.

Speaker: Virginia Commissioner of Health Marissa Levine, M.D.

 

April 6 – Washington, D.C., Lead Crisis 2001 – 2006: Prelude to Flint, Mich.

Noon, SunTrust Building Fourth Floor Auditorium, 919 E. Main St.

Speaker: Marc Edwards, Ph.D., Charles P. Lunsford Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech and principal investigator of the Flint Water Study

 

April 7 – Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Nothing True: Zika Virus Conspiracy Theories in a Globalized Communication Environment

4:30 p.m., One Capitol Square Building Room 644, 830 E. Main St.

Speaker: Omri Ceren, communications scholar and Ph.D. candidate, University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism